The HP Media Center 7160n Photosmart PC ($1,529 direct, with monitor) is perfect for multimedia enthusiasts who don't require high-powered 3D graphics. The system comes with a powerful dual-core Pentium D 820 processor, 1GB of system RAM, a 250GB hard drive, media card slots, a LightScribe dual-layer DVD writer, and a built-in docking area for HP cameras and Apple iPods. With all these features, this multipurpose machine makes a very good step up for the budding multimedia maven.

Eye-catching without being ostentatious, the 7160n shies away from the recent trend toward high-contrast color schemes. Instead, it sports a subtle silver-on-silver design. There myriad front-panel connectorsUSB, S-Video-in, composite video-in, audio, and USBall discreetly hidden behind a panel that swings open. Another panel hides the Personal Media Drive slot, which can accept expansion hard drive cartridges should the included 250GB drive be full. The well-hidden DVD-ROM and DVD writer optical drives and the exposed media card reader round out the front panel. The top of the 7160n slides open to reveal a bay and cable-routing path for an HP Photosmart camera dock, or the dock for an iPod or iPod + HP. HP includes snap-in panels with cutouts for these docks, which helps maintain the 7160n's clean lines.

The 7160n is one of the first dual-core Media Center PCs we've seen from HP. The Pentium D 820's presence will help avoid system slowdowns. The second core can handle background tasks like running the included Norton Internet Security and AntiVirus package, with minimal impact on foreground tasks like Web surfing or watching Media Center programming. The 7160n's Personal Media Drive bay can take hard drive cartridges holding 120GB to 400GB (they cost $150 to $350). This should make for some prodigious storage capacities. We've found that HP systems with Personal Media Drive bays are much easier to upgrade than systems with either external or internal hard drives: There are no cables to connect. If you can pop a piece of bread in a toaster, you'll be able to upgrade this computer.

With its midrange processor, the 7160n isn't a speed demon, but it doesn't need to be. The dual-core processor, however, makes for a better day-to-day computing experience than a single-core processor with a faster clock speed does. On BAPCo's SYSmark 2004 SE test, the 7160n returned a more-than-respectable 232 score on Internet Content Creation, showing that it has no trouble handling such tasks. Its 3D performance is predictably anemic: The integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics can display basic DX9 graphics, but return a positively glacial score of 9 frames per second on the 1,024-by-768 Doom 3 test. The 7160n is more of a 2D performer anyway. Cinebench and multitasking scores were good.

The HP Media Center 7160 rates high for value, especially in view of its HP-specific extras like HP Tunes and the top-mounted dock. And it's pretty quiet, as it doesn't have a graphics-card fan (since it uses integrated graphics). The real bonus here is the Personal Media Drive slot. If you're the type of person that has a dozen projects going at once, or if you love to archive personal video programs or TV shows, the 7160n may be your perfect systemespecially since it costs less than $1,600.

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Automatic Renewal Program: Your subscription will continue without interruption for as long as you wish, unless
you instruct us otherwise. Your subscription will automatically renew at the end of the term unless you authorize
cancellation. Each year, you'll receive a notice and you authorize that your credit/debit card will be charged the
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